From The Straits Times    |

How clean is your kitchen? Not very, according to a new study by BRASS, a local biomedical research company. Infectious diseases specialist Dr Wong Sin Yew, as well as experts from BRASS, tell COLLETTE MILES about the study’s findings and tips on how to rid bacteria from your kitchen.

Kitchen hygiene tips

Experts share tips on how to improve your kitchen hygiene. Image: Getty Images


Finish/Bosch Kitchen Hygiene Study

Who: 25 Singapore households were picked at random – one in four had children aged 12 and below. Each household cooked at least one meal a day at home.
When: A week-long in September.
Researchers: BRASS, in collaboration with Bosch dishwashers and Finish detergents.
What:
The households were given new kitchen sponges, plastic chopping boards and dishes to cook, clean and serve with. At the end of the week, the items were collected and tested for E. coli, Salmonella and other harmful bacteria.

Kitchen Sponges
* 72% used the same sponge to clean the kitchen sink, the food preparation area, stoves and kitchen utensils. When these sponges were tested, 88% were infected with Salmonella, E. Coli and other bacteria.
* 92% washed their sponges before and after use, but only 4% used hot water to disinfect their sponges.

Kitchen hygiene tips:

  1. Use separate sponges to clean your sink, plates and food preparation area.
  2. To keep your sponges bacteria-free, sterilise them after use by microwaving your damp sponge for two minutes on high in the microwave oven. Allow it to dry completely before your next use.

Chopping Boards
* 20% of the chopping boards were contaminated with Salmonella, E. Coli and other bacteria.
* 32% used the same chopping board to chop raw meat and ready-to-eat food.
* 36% used only water to wash their chopping boards, only 4% used hot, soapy water

Kitchen hygiene tips:

  1. To clean your chopping board, use a dish-washing detergent and then rinse the board in water in warm water (at least 60 deg C to 70 deg C) – this is the minimum temperature needed to kill bacteria. Dry the board with dry cloth.
  2. Plastic chopping boards are also better than wooden ones, as wooden ones have tiny slits which bacteria can thrive in.

Dishes
* 32% of the washed dishes tested were contaminated with Salmonella, E. Coli and other bacteria.
* 16% did not wash their dishes, which were taken out of storage, before they using them to serve their meals.
* 4% stacked their dishes immediately after washing

Kitchen hygiene tips:

  1. Use a separate towel to dry your dishes and food preparation area.
  2. Avoid stacking your dishes immediately after washing as they are still wet and the damp environment encourages bacteria to grow and multiply.